Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon derivatives



Mar. 27, 1923.

H. B. SETZLER APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON DERIVATIVES Filed Jan. 14, 1918 2 sheets-sheet 1 vemzor III Max. 27, 1923.

H. B. SETZLER APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROGARBON DERIVATIVES m M W Patented Mar. 27, 1%23.

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HORACE B. SETZLER, F COJFFIEYVILLE, NSAS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL REFINING- COMPANY, 015 CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

' renames non TREATING nrnnooaanon DERIVATIVES.

I Application filed January 14, 1918. Serial No.211,721.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HORACE B. SETZLER, a I citizen of Code ville, in thecounty of Montgomery 5' and tate of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Hydrocarbon Derivatives, of which the following is a specification.

y invention relates to improvements in apparatus for treating h. drocarbon derivatives; the object thereo being to provide means for use during the process of decomposing hydrocarbons mainly of the paraffine series, in the production of crude gasoline. y apparatus is an improvement upon that already described in my prior applications, Serial Numbers 58,720 and 102,651, and the features of improvement will be more particularly set forth and claimed herein in distinctlon from my prior applications.

The present apparatus is designed and especially adapted for conducting an economical process for decomposing gas-oil, freeing and fixed gases therefrom, and producing crude gaso- This process has as its fundamental feature the separation of all inert" hydrocarbons and the zone of reaction, and in addition the introduction of fresh supplies of hydrocarons out of contact with the vapors of distillation, for the purpose of avoiding the solution of the hydrocarbons of lower boiling points and their reintroduction to the zone of reaction within the still. Said process is herein adverted to merely for the purpose of illustration, and is more fully described and claimed in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 211,722.; to My apparatus may be briefly described as consisting of a suitable pressure-distilling apparatus with which is immediately assoiated a composite initial cooling appliance which I may term a reflux dome and ex- 4 changer. This appliance discharges respectively from its two members or limbs directly into the still and into suitable cooling coils under pressure. The supply line for the still is conducted by suitable tubing or pipes though these members, preferably in reversed direction to the flow of the vapors of distillation therethrough and to a point in the still substantially or entirely out of contact wlth such vapors of distillation, as

the United States, residing at 1 blades 6' the elimination of them from beneath. the level of the body of hydrocarbons under treatment.

he accompanying drawing illustrates said apparatus principally in section but partially broken away and diagram, whereby I may explain my invention in more detail, as in Fig. 2.

A suitable pressure still a is shown at the left-hand portion of the drawing, which is equipped with a rotatable shaft 6 slightllyl eccentric to the horizontal axis of said sti and loosely mounting duplicated helicoidal slightly less than the interior diameter of the still, but so positioned as constantly to scrape the heated bottom sheets of the still. The furnace and its adjuncts are not shown and do not need to be described, nor does the apparatus connected with the pulley wheel 6 for rotating the shaft. are pro- In ecting water pipes 12 vided for coolin Further the end bearings. structural detai s thereof and of the preferred associated apparatus may be ascertained by making reference to Letters Patent; No. 1,292,966, granted to me January 28th, 1919.

Immediately above the still is positioned the reflux dome d, which is connected by a pipe 03 with the adjacent exchanger 6, and the latter in turn is connected by a pipe 6 with cooling coils controlling the flow of the condensed products; none of which are involved in the present invention and do not require description. A pump f is provided for supplying fresh hydrocarbons under pressure, and suitably metered at f through the supply line 9 and comprising the coils g, g" and the inlet pipe which extends below the level of the body of hydrocarbons under treatment within the still. lit will be observed that the coils or pipes g, g, are relatively proportioned to secure a reciprocal relative cooling efiect withinthe com; positecooling appliance comprising the dome d and exchanger 0. The dome 18 shown broken away from its connection with the still, merely for the convenience of illustration, but in practice is connected thereto so that the vapors readily pass into the dome and the reflux will flow back to the still, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Suitable casin c, cland the spaced covering 0'', respectively, pro

and valved containers for- 'ing from 700 ranging from sixty to one hundred pounds of the hydrocarbons are duced into the still.

fact, however, that at the range of temferred by me in pumped into the "materially condensed thereby l 'thatjithe elim nation tain' to take place.

' from the immediate action of the external air and the weather, while a thermometer h is provided in association with the dome, and another thermometer i in association with the still, for the purpose of accurately regulating the respective temperatures. Similarl a pressure gage j, is provided for accurate y indicating the internal still pres sure.

The still being approximately half filled with gas oil, and suitably heated for the necessary period, until a temperature rang- F. to 750 F. and a pressure per square inch interiorly, are respectively maintained in said still, the products of decomposition and distillation will commence to pass off through the reflux dome, which is thereby heated and certain portions thereby reintro- It is an ascertained perature and pressure above stated and pre the practice of my process, those hydrocarbons which have boiling points ranging from 310 F. to 575 F., which I may generically term kerosenes, are substantially unchanged at the temperatures within the still and are unaffected for the purpose of I decomposing crude gasoline therefrom. Accordingly, the supply pump 'is started as soon as the temperature 0 550 1*. is observed upon the thermometer h, and additional hydrocarbons are still through the supply line in order that the temperature of the dome shall not be raised above 575 F.

Accordingly, the supply of hydrocarbons is furnished to the still in a preheated condition, and the process is made continuous. Moreover, as the fuel oil is led into the still out of contact with the vaporous products of distillation no solution of the vaporous hydrocarbons of low boiling points will occur, as is the case if the supply offresh hydrocarbons comes in contact therewith.

It will'be understood by those skilled in the art, that the refluxdome, maintained at a temperature to avoid condensing the ker osenes,' will accordingly return to the still only those hydroca rbons of higher boiling po1nts,'wh ch may be again subjected with advantage "'to' "the process of decomposition. The heated vapors, however, inpassing through the adjacent exchanger will be v before reaching the coolingcoi'ls, and consequently the oil I will befurnished to the dome at a corresp lndinlgly elevated temperaturefso of the kerosenes is cer- Thus a material conservation of, heat is for furnishng hydrocarbons in the presence effected, as compared with apparatus wherein water-cooled coils or other external means are employed for condensation. Moreover, the temperature in the dome may be better regulated by the means set forth.

It will be observed that the oil supply is directed from the dome and through the e in the upper portion of the still to the left hand lower portion thereof, closely adjacent to the firing chamber. Consequently, the fresh supply of fueloil or other hydrocarbons under treatment, is raised initially from its re-heated temperature to the desired distilling temperature.

' It is highly desirable in practicing this or analogous processes, that the temperature in the dome should be maintained stationary within narrow limits, and accordingly the provision of a thermometer intimately associated with the dome for indicating the critical temperature, is necessary for securing the best results.

My novel dome and exchanger is shown somewhat in detail as diagrammatically associated with the fragmentary section of a still a; which apparatus is well adapted to the practice of the process adverted to' and more fully described in my application, Ser. No. 211,722, filed concurrently herewith. The two limbs of the condensing apparatus are connected as'indicated in Fig. 1, but the proportion ihg of the still and pump is shown on reduced scale for the purpose of illustration.

In Fig. 2 the oil level is assumed to be just below the line m-00, while in practice. the still is connected with the casings d and 6 so that thepressure is maintained in common therein.

Having now described the apparatus embodying my invention and. in general, the function thereof. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

In apparatus for treating hydrocarbons. the combination with a pressure still. of a two-limbed condensing apparatus connected directly above the still and discharging from one of its limbs into the same an from the other limb into cooling coils, supply coils positioned within said limbs an a supply line connecting with said coils through the condensing apparatus to said still, whereby the effective. temperatures in both limbs may be approximately maintained and waste of forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature of two witnesses.

HORACE B. SETZLER.

'Vv itne'sses:

G. Fomnisr, I ALBERT LYNN LAWRENCE. 

